


this fragile thing is made to be broken

by shesthemuscle



Series: until five minutes ago universe [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Disaster Gays, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone hurts, First Kiss, Kissing, M/M, Oblivious Mutual Pining, Swearing, Sympathetic Remus, Things are gonna get messy, angry outburst, confused feelings, feelings are hard, there's no one right solution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-14 23:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20856245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shesthemuscle/pseuds/shesthemuscle
Summary: Feelings are a confusing messy quagmire.





	this fragile thing is made to be broken

**Author's Note:**

> Series Chronological Order:   
1) let's have a little fun, you and i  
2) until five minutes ago  
3) this fragile thing is made to be broken
> 
> Dee (Deceit), Virgil, Remy and Emile all make appearances in this fic as well.

“You make me want things I can’t have,” comments Remus softly.

Patton looks up at him from where he’s curled up against Remus’ side in confusion.

“What do you mean Rem?” Patton asks.

Standing up suddenly from where he was seated on the bench causing Patton to fall over and does his best to not rush back over to make sure he’s okay.

“Don’t. That’s not my name.”

“Uh, okay. What’s going on?”

Remus starts walking off.

“Whatever you think is going on here is just a figment of your imagination. Dee dared me to get close to you to mess with Roman.”

Biting his tongue, he tries to ignore the sobs coming from behind him because Remus knows this is how it has to be. He loves his brother and will do anything for him regardless of how he acts, even breaking his own heart so Roman gets to be happy.

Remus never intended to fall in love with Patton.

\---

Patton watches Remus walk away from with one arm wrapped around his torso and the hand on the other one pressed up against his mouth, trying to suppress the sobs coming from him.

They weren’t together so why did this feel like a break up?

He must have done something wrong.

Pulling his knees up to his chest, he presses his forehead against them as he tries to block out the world. He’ll have to go back to the on-campus apartment he shares with Roman at some point but he can’t bring himself to move. When Roman finds out and he will find out that Remus upset Patton, there will be hell to pay because Roman’s terribly protective of his friends especially where Remus is concerned.

His phone rings and rings.

Looking down, Patton sees Roman’s name lighting up the screen the presses ‘ignore’.

Eventually, his legs let him know they’re sore so he stands up from the bench, grabs his phone and heads home.

\---

Remus enters his apartment forcefully, slamming the door open then shut.

This really sucks.

Why couldn’t he be as selfish as Roman makes him out to be? Why should he have to give up the best thing to ever happen to him to his brother?

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turns sharply and suddenly before snarling at the person the hand belongs to.

Virgil takes a couple of steps backwards with his hands raised.

As he opens his mouth to say something, Remus stops him with a glare that chills Virgil down to the bones; something he’s never experienced when interacting with Remus. He’s concerned now.

Spotting Dee across the room, Virgil shares a concerned glance.

“Fuck off! Both of you!” Remus snarls.

He slams his shoulder into Virgil roughly as he passes him before slamming the door to his room shut then locking it. Tossing himself onto his bed, he grabs the bottle of whiskey and taking a long swig of it.

This better all be fucking worth it.

\---

Emile’s the only one home when Patton makes it back to the apartment and Patton chooses to ignore the look on Emile’s face as he makes his way to his room. Patton tosses himself onto his bed then curls up into the fetal position.

The bed dips and he knows Emile followed him.

Wrapping his arms around Patton from behind, Emile presses up against his back firmly as tears start to fall again from Patton’s eyes.

God, this hurts so much and it shouldn’t.

Why does he feel like he lost something precious?

Finally, Patton’s resolve crumbles and he gives into the hysterical crying that’s been bubbling away inside of him.

Patton’s too lost in his sobbing to hear footsteps approaching but Emile looks up at the open doorway. Roman and Logan soon arrive. As Logan goes to open his mouth, Emile shakes his head and Logan nods. Grabbing Roman by the arm, Logan drags him away from Patton’s room.

\---

Remus sighs as he can feel his friends staring at him. Again. Of course, he knows why they are – he never explained his behavior from last month and he plans to keep it that way, much to Dee and Virgil’s frustration.

At least he apologized to Virgil? Sort of?

Even since he lied to Patton, he’s been adrift and not focusing on what’s going on around him. The world seems duller than before. God, he hates how his thoughts wander off like that. It’s too romantic…_too Roman_.

There’s a bitter taste in his mouth.

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO REMUS???”

The trio look up startled as a blur in a leather jacket charges Remus in the middle of the living room. Before Remus reacts, the blur hits him repeatedly with a textbook wherever the blur could reach.

After a few moments, the trio realize the blur is their newest friend and roommate, Remy.

Virgil and Dee manage to get Remy away from Remus.

Staring at Remy, Remus realizes something.

“You know.”

It’s a simple statement but it catches Virgil and Dee off-guard.

Remy crosses his arms.

“I do.”

“Time out! We don’t know so one of you better explain!” interjects Virgil gesturing between the four men.

Remy continues on, ignoring the peanut gallery for the time being.

“I’ll rephrase the question, Remus. What did you say to Patton?”

Remus looks from Remy to Virgil to Dee then back again before sighing; he hoped he’d never have to say it but there’s no getting around it…his friends were stubborn like that.

“I told him - _Whatever you think is going on here is just a figment of your imagination. Dee dared me to get close to you to mess with Roman_ then I left him there on the bench upset and came back to the apartment.”

Three jaws dropped in shock.

\---

In the month since he last spent time with Remus, Patton’s been a mess – torn between what caused Remus to leave and what he feels for Roman. His friends have been wonderful though only Emile knows what happened.

When they’re all hanging out together but when Patton’s alone with Roman, he gets awkward – more awkward than on average.

So, he tries to avoid it as much as possible but Roman’s as equally stubborn.

Patton goes to leave the apartment but Roman stops him.

“Don’t push me away.”

Patton freezes.

The doorway is only a few feet away but the hand wrapped around his wrist stops his forward movement. He knows if he pulls hard enough, he can break free from the hold. If it was anyone but Roman, then he definitely would.

**But it’s Roman.**

“I don’t what I did to upset you but I wanna make it right. I miss you, Patton,” confesses Roman.

“I didn’t go anywhere?” replies Patton in confusion.

“Well, you’re spending all of your time with Emile and before that, it was my brother. Ever since you ditched me at that damned party,” retorts Roman.

“I ditched you? I’m pretty sure it was the other way around.”

Patton starts to worked up because where the hell is all this coming from and who the hell does Roman think he is?

“Why are you so bothered by Remus and I hanging out?” Patton crosses his arms and stares at Roman, “did you expect me to sit around bored at a party I didn’t want to go to while you cozied up to Virgil?!”

Roman stumbles backwards in shock.

“No! I’d never, Patton. You have to believe me!” exclaims Roman.

Sighing, Patton wants to believe Roman.

“Pattycake, please….” begs Roman.

Patton turns away from Roman and closes his eyes to prevent Roman from getting his way; he’s always found it hard to resist Roman especially when he uses nicknames.

Suddenly, arms are wrapped gently around Patton from behind then feels something pressed against his back. He’s not surprised Roman’s doing this as they’ve always been the most physically affectionate with each other. Though, what is surprising is Roman’s body trembling.

“Ro? What’s wrong?” asks Patton as he turns around in Roman’s arms.

Roman shakes his head, unable to speak so Patton moves them over to the couch then sits down before pulling Roman onto his lap where he clings to Patton tightly. They’re silent for a while as Patton rubs his back to help calm him.

“I’m gonna lose you to my brother and it kills me. I see the way he looks at you now and I can’t stand it; not just because he’s my brother…” whispers Roman into Patton’s shoulder.

Patton freezes at the comment.

“What? Roman, he doesn’t have anything to do with me anymore,” replies Patton.

Looking up at Patton, Roman shakes his head.

“I know my brother better than anyone. Even though you’re not talking, he still watches you.”

Patton kisses Roman’s forehead without thinking.

“It doesn’t matter; not anymore.”

Patton almost believes it.

Roman opens his mouth to say something but closes it when something catches his eye…the way Patton’s looking at him.

There in Patton’s eyes, Roman sees something he’s seen a million times before but only now realizes what the emotion is.

“You love me, don’t you?”

Patton bites his lip.

“I love all my friends, you know this Roman,” he replies.

Shaking his head, Roman grasps the sides of Patton’s face gently with both hands to make him look directly at Roman.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he says firmly, “you’re in love with me, Patton and have been for a long time.”

Patton freezes and time slows down, he doesn’t think he’s breathing as Roman moves in close so his forehead touches Patton’s.

“I’ve always thought of you as mine but I probably should have told you a long time ago,” he confesses in a whisper.

Eyes widen in surprise –Patton waits to see what Roman does next.

It doesn’t take long.

Roman closes the gap between their lips.


End file.
